Let me introduce you to Mackenzie “Kenzie” Koffenberger, this week’s Campus Celebrity. Not only is Kenzie smart and friendly with a fantastic taste in music and sense of humor, but she is also a helpful, generous person at heart. You will see Kenzie shredding it up on the slopes as part of the Ski and Snowboard Club. She is also a part of the Pittsburgh Intercollegiate Snowboarding Team (P.I.S.T.) who put on this past year’s Rail Jam Competition, in which she hopes to be the event coordinator for next year. Besides her love of snowboarding, on campus Kenzie is a part of Habitat for Humanity. She also volunteers for Team RWB, The Wounded Warrior Project, and Challenger Baseball, all of which show that her main goal and sense of satisfaction come from helping others and giving back to the community. Kenzie is also an avid lover of travelling and to show that, she studied abroad last year in London. All of these reasons and more give proof as to why she deserves the title of Campus Celebrity.
Year: Junior
Major: Marketing
HC: What made you join Habitat here at Pitt?
Kenzie Koffenberger: The people and the opportunity. It is a club filled with talented and fun individuals. They’re all from different majors with different perspectives in life, all working towards bettering other people’s lives. It was an environment that was very welcoming and easy to feel like I belonged in.
HC: Besides Habitat, can you explain the other organizations you volunteer for?
KK: Team RWB is an organization that wants to change the way America welcomes back veterans from war. It brings together veterans, their families and communities by creating events and social activities.
Wounded Warrior Project is an organization that organizes events and activities for wounded veterans. Everything is focused on their mind, body, social interactions, and financial stability.
Challenger baseball is an organization in my hometown that pairs an older buddy with a young baseball player who has some sort of disability. We play baseball side by side and help each other out. It lets disabled children interact and play a team sport that they might not be able to otherwise.
HC: Was there any personal reason that you decided to join these?
KK: My dad teaches teenagers with learning disabilities, which inspired me to help kids with disabilities. It is so much fun and rewarding. And the organizations with veterans are more about me giving back to people who give so much to millions of people that they will never meet. I know some people entering the army or in the services and I appreciate everything they do. My grandfather also served when he was younger.
HC: What is one of your favorite memories or experiences you have from working with the kids and/or veterans?
KK: We had a practice every few Sundays and one boy came in on a wheelchair for his first practice. I went over and introduced myself and his dad told me that he isn’t very social, that this is their attempt to make him more social. So I partnered up with him and another boy with Down syndrome and played with them for the afternoon. By the end of the day Michael (the boy in the wheelchair) gave me a huge hug and told me he didn’t think he would like playing baseball but I made it easy and fun. He wants to come back because there are kids here like him and people like me with really big smiles. It was a special moment, knowing I helped him feel really happy for an afternoon… and feel like a “normal kid”.
HC: What did you get out of that experience personally?
KK: I think I got out the confidence that I can make differences in people’s lives. I know it’s cliche to say that, but every time I am told by parents of kids I babysit, or parents of the kids at work that I made their kid feel really special and appreciated, it reminds me that I am making differences. It makes me want to participate in more organizations and work with more people
HC: If you could have any job in the world what would it be and why?
KK: I think my ideal job would be the job I am working towards now, an event planner for an action sports company (preferably a snowboard or ski company). I would also love to be a spa and hotel critic who travels all over the world, which combines my love of travel, food, sleeping, and massages!
HC: So you studied abroad in London, another indicator of your love for travel. Do you have any advice for people that want to study abroad in the future?
KK: Don’t say no. Within reason. My favorite days were the spontaneous ones where I ventured off with friends and explored, went to new sites, ate and drank new food and drinks, and just let life happen. Try to be the first one out of your flat/apartment and the last one back. Don’t waste a single day.
HC: What was your best experience while studying abroad in London?
KK: Other than the fun nights out, I think my favorite experience was when I walked through London. I started on one side and walked through historic parks, past monuments and the staples of London, down the Thames and ended by the Tower of London. It’s about a 6 mile walk, past everything that made London incredible and breathtaking.